The Summer That Changed Everything
by LauraUriex
Summary: Harry comes back to Hogwarts for his last year, but something happened in the Summer Holidays that changed him completely. His strange behaviour may have something to do with none other than Draco Malfoy... Drarry.


**_A/N: I do not own. All characters belong to JK Rowling._**  
Harry stirred his butterbeer idly, while countles_s _thoughts ran through his mind.  
The last year had been rather chaotic, as he had collaborated in the renovation of Hogwarts. Walking around the ruins of what had been his childhood home had been very painful and it would often elicit a sense of pure anguish.  
When the rebuilding of Hogwarts was completed, Harry decided to take advantage of the two months holiday to spend some time alone, hoping he could sort out his head, in order to come back a new and better person, for his last year in the school. After all, he had never really had a break since discovering his true nature.  
He had randomly found a secluded hotel near a seaside, in one of the cold shores of Northern Ireland.  
He was sure no one would come looking for him where he was, as the hotel, called The Lonely Sorcerer's Spot, was only accessible to wizards and witches who had recently gone through a heartbreak, his being the tumultuous break up with Ginny, happened only three months prior to his visit.  
He had been there for a little over a week, and he had never been so relaxed in his entire life before.  
In the morning, he would go for walks on the beautiful, adjacent beaches and he would come back inside only for meals. He would, occasionally, spend the night outside, too attracted by the marvelous, Irish sky, full of mesmerising stars.  
That afternoon, it was around four, he was sitting by himself at the hotel's cafe, drinking a no longer hot butterbeer, given he had ordered it about an hour before.

It was one of those times when he was feeling lonely, and sad thoughts wouldn't abandon his mind.  
The most recurring one was Fred, accompanied by a great sense of frustration, because his death could have been prevented, if only Harry had been there and pushed him away from the falling rocks.  
While all these things went on in his mind, he noticed a new guest had entered the premises. He was rather tall and he was wearing a long coat. His face was covered by a dark hood, which gave him a rather sinister vibe. His expensive looking shoes were slightly wet and dirty; an obvious consequence of the rain outside.  
From the way he moved, he looked young, but also pretty _sophisticated__, _since he was also carrying a bag that looked like it was 5000 galleons worth.  
Harry continued to observe him, as the man sat at a nearby table and ordered a drink he had never seen before. It was blue and fizzy, and it had a rather pungent smell.  
It was only when the man removed his hood that Harry recognised him.  
It was none other than Draco Malfoy, his once mortal enemy. However, he didn't feel hatred for him upon seeing him, he had recently changed his mind about him. If anything, he felt a bit of pity, mixed with empathy. After all, he had spoken in favour of him and his father, in their post war trial.  
That guy had gone through a lot, and his presence there was only a recomfirmation of it.  
Harry wondered why, in the world, Draco had chosen a hotel for the broken hearted wizards.  
If anything, he thought Malfoy was going to end up in Saint Mungo's, in the section for Psychological Issues, given his experience with traumas.  
Him being there had to mean that he was fresh from a breakup or something like that.  
That spurred a lot of curiosity in Harry - he had never thought of him as someone who had girl problems.  
Draco looked spent, his hair was slightly messy and his face was paler than normal; he was also a little anxious, since he was shaking his leg.  
Harry debated whether he should go and sit next to him. After all, it had been a while since he had seen him and the rivalry had begun to fade.  
Draco, on the other hand, didn't look like he felt like some human interaction.  
In fact, he only sat there for about twenty minutes. Then, he left without talking to anyone. He had surely gone up to his room.

That night, Harry found it hard to sleep. Seeing Draco Malfoy had been rather intriguing. Harry had always had a weird interest in the guy, especially during his sixth year in Hogwarts, but he had never been so _touched _by just seeing him for twenty minutes.  
He was _dying _to know what had pushed him to go to such place for, apparently, a Summer getaway.  
He needed to find out the reason for it, if he didn't want to spend sleepless nights for the rest of his stay.

* * *

The next morning, just as Harry had hoped, Malfoy showed up in the cafe again.  
This time, he wasn't wearing the coat, he was in a much more summery outfit.  
He had a white, short sleeved shirt, black linen trousers and his signature, formal shoes.  
The white shirt accentuated his abs, Harry thought to himself.  
That time, the Slytherin ordered a regular pumpkin juice, accompanied by a carrot pie.  
That reminded Harry of the breakfasts he would have in Hogwarts.  
Harry was only a few tables away, drinking yet another butterbeer, which ultimately got cold, because he wouldn't stop staring at Draco, his eyes glued to his toned arms.

Draco suddenly lifted his eyes from his breakfast, apparently feeling like he was being watched, making eye contact with Harry.  
Harry looked away, blushing furiously.  
Feeling really ashamed, he left his drink on the table and rushed outside.  
He sat on the front steps of the hotel, his head in his hands, unsure of how to react when faced with his once rival again.  
He had obviously noticed him, so there wasn't really a way to escape, given there was a chance had to _share _a hotel for two months.

"Potter." Harry suddenly heard a voice from behind him, which made him freeze. It was Malfoy, probably ready to attack him or something.  
"Mind if I sit here?" Draco asked, awkwardly standing there and looking at Harry.  
Harry didn't say anything, he just stared at Malfoy, who was smiling.  
That was enough to shock him quite a bit.  
Draco then sat next to him, chuckling. "Merlin, Potter. You look like you've just seen a ghost. I guess you thought I would curse you." He joked.  
Harry shook his head, no, blushing from the embarrassment. He was still unable to say a word... that interaction had confused him a little.  
"Yeah... we're not _bleeding _eleven anymore, Potter. And I suppose I should... thank you for what you did at the trial. " said Draco, avoiding Harry's gaze, visibly ashamed of pronouncing those words.  
Harry nodded his head in response, unsure of what to say.  
It wasn't every day you would hear Malfoy say _thank you. _He had really changed, Harry observed.  
"So, what brings you here?" Harry finally asked, after an awkward silence had fallen between them.  
"Father. He and I are not really getting along, recently. I also went through a _heartbreak _as you would put it... I dated a girl, a Slytherin named Astoria. Pretty, but I guess we didn't really match. Left me for bloody Zabini. It will be so weird to see them around school this year."  
Draco Malfoy had just confided in Harry, like a friend would.  
The war and everything that followed it had managed to soften him a bit.  
Or, Draco had always been an _almost nice guy. _  
He had saved his life twice, during the war, so that was a clear sign that he wasn't that rotten.

Their conversation continued quite smoothly.  
Harry felt, deep inside him, that, maybe, making friends with Malfoy wouldn't be a bad idea, after all.  
That, or Malfoy just needed someone to talk to, and Harry was the first familiar face that he'd seen.


End file.
